Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Let me say at the start that it's the perfect (and required) companion-piece to Mel's own classic, "Young Frankenstein."
That said, I have to admit - this movie grew on me.
When it first came out in 1995 I was still in the military and, though a great fan of Mel's films, I didn't have time to go see it. Given it's evident lack of theatrical success, it was available on VHS shortly there after and I rented it from a local video store.
At first, it was amusing, but not much else.
However, my local renter gave me two weeks to review it and, as I watched with more attention to detail, I grew to appreciate it's comic genius.
Others have written that it's a salute to Universal's 1937 classic "Dracula." It's all of that, but much more. It mocks elements of Frank Langella's sexy 1979 "Dracula," but the most obvious parody is Francis Ford Coppola's much more pretentious "Bram Stoker's Dracula."
Much of the dialogue is lifted, verbatim, from Universal's "Dracula," but given a new twist. For example the theater scene where Leslie Nielsen, as Dracula, attempts to contact Dr. Seward (played by Harvey Korman) and, before entering their opera box, instructs the usherette (played by Leslie Sachs) to "remember nothing of what I have said" - she takes him at his word and throws open the curtains to only stare at Seward & company and wonder blankly why she's there!
Another bit of amusing trivia is the famous stake scene. Steven Weber, playing Jonathon Harker, drives a stake through Lucy Westenra's (portrayed by Lysette Anthony) heart. In the production, no one told Steven that gallons and gallons of fake blood would erupt - and it shows! You can actually see Steven struggle to remember his lines and go on with the show.
One other bit of trivia - if there any Cub Scout Leaders out there who've seen this movie, check me out on this. In the Ball Room scene where Mel Brooks (playing Dr. Van Helsing) is decked out in tuxedo, isn't the medal he's wearing on his lapel a "Tiger Cub Leader" scout medal?
See it - Buy it - Love it. It's very nearly the last of a genre of humor that can be enjoyed by every generation of your family. From the youngest to the oldest, all will find a reason to laugh.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Dracula - Dead and Loving It (1995)
A comic reinvention of the Bela Lugosi classic about a Transylvanian vampire who works his evil spell on a perplexed group of Londoners. Mel Brooks's Count is a pratfalling evil prince of a guy who believes in long relationships. Brooks portrays vampire hunter Van Helsing, who won't give a bloodsucker an even break.DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Commentary by director/co-writer Mel Brooks, co-stars Steven Weber and Amy Yasbeck, and co-writers Rudy De Luca and Steve HabermanTheatrical Trailer
Click here for more information about Dracula - Dead and Loving It (1995)
0 comments:
Post a Comment